Method and system for a digital automated exchange

ABSTRACT

A method and system exchanges assets defined as digital automated equities which are objects instantiated with attributes of an asset. Digital automated equities are registered on a common system exchange as offeror mediary objects and matched by comparing their attributes. Capital exchange offer objects define desired matches by identifying a digital automated equity associated with an exchange offer, a exchange price for the exchange and one or more conditions associated with the exchange. A match use case compares attributes of capital exchange offers to determine matches based on the closeness of the capital exchange offers and a negotiate transaction use case supports communication between owners associated with close capital exchange offers to alter attributes in response to a match. Once a transaction is complete, a settle transaction use case exchanges the digital automated equities. Digital automated equities may include a variety of assets, including intellectual property such as patents and trademarks, business plans, stock and confidential information. Further, the present invention provides a secure format for exchange of confidential information in stages.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from the following provisionalapplications: “Method and System for Digital Automated EquitiesExchange” U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/194,526, filed Apr.4, 2000; “Method and System for Digital Automated Equities Exchange”U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/193,912, filed Mar. 31, 2000;“Digital Automated Trust Process and System for Disclosing Information,”U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/193,536, filed Mar. 31, 2000;“System and Method for Knowledge-Driven Exchange,” U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/193,534, filed Mar. 31, 2000; and “DigitalAutomated Naming Method and System,” U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/193,541, filed Mar. 31, 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to computer networks, and morespecifically relates to a method and system for the automated exchangeof equities.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An important ingredient in many business transactions is the creationand exchange of various forms of capital. A traditional measure ofcapital is one's holdings of financial assets such as cash andsecurities. In many business transactions, however, an equally importantform of capital is the ownership of intellectual property. Suchintellectual capital consists of assets of intellectual value for whichmonetary value is sometimes difficult to determine, such as patents,trademarks, and accumulated knowledge.

To support certain business transactions, a business or organizationmust have a means of exchanging one form of capital for another. Thismay involve the exchange of one form of traditional financial capitalfor another, such as offering cash for shares of stock, the exchange offinancial capital for intellectual capital, such as buying consultingtime or patent rights for cash, or even exchanges that involve onlyintellectual capital, such as offering consulting time for the rights toa patent.

While existing securities exchanges and other financial markets providea medium for offering and selling traditional financial capital assets,the marketing and sales of intellectual capital has been a manual, adhoc process. One impediment to the exchange of intellectual capital isthe description and registration of the capital itself. Whereasfinancial capital such as stocks and bonds have well-defineddescriptions and registration mechanisms, intellectual capital typicallyenjoys no such media and mechanisms.

Another element that affects the exchange of capital is the relativelevel of knowledge of the bargaining parties. In conducting variousforms of business transactions, the value of information or capitalbeing offered by each of the two parties depends in part upon theknowledge each party has of the other. When an entrepreneur seeksventure capital, for example, the identity of a firm offering thatcapital is one factor in determining the value of the capital. Thebacking of a respected, big-name firm adds legitimacy to the enterprise.If two venture capital firms offer an equivalent amount of money,therefore, and one firm is more widely recognized and respected than theother, the entrepreneur is likely to assign a different value to thosetwo offers. Likewise, when a venture capital firm evaluates anentrepreneur, the credentials of the entrepreneur are a factor indetermining the value of the venture. If all other factors are equal,for example, a stake in the venture of an entrepreneur with a proventrack record is more valuable than a position in one in which theentrepreneur has never before started a company.

Current automated exchanges are price-driven. In conventional salessystems, the seller offers a product or service for a specified price,and the buyer must meet that price to close the sale. In thePriceline.com model, the buyer names a price the buyer is willing to payfor a product or service, and any of several sellers can elect to offerthe desired product or service for the offered price. In automatedauctions, any of multiple buyers can offer a price for a particularitem, and the item's seller accepts the highest price (or rejects alloffers).

In some instances, the value of an asset offered for exchange isrelative to the amount of confidential knowledge that one party iswilling to provide to another party. Thus, in conducting business, it isoften necessary to disclose confidential information between two partiesthat are not affiliated with a common business, institution or othertype of organizational entity. A disclosing party generally submitsconfidential information to a receiving party such that the receivingparty can make a determination with respect to the confidentialinformation. For example, inventors often disclose patent applicationsto manufacturers and entrepreneurs for the purpose of selling orlicensing the invention and entrepreneurs often disclose business plansto investors for the purpose of obtaining funding for the businessventure documented in the business plan. In these types of situations,the disclosure of the confidential information must be conducted in amanner that limits the potential for the confidential information to bemisappropriated, made public or otherwise handled in a manner thatadversely affects the interests of the disclosing party.

The evaluation of a business plan or patent application typicallyinvolves a number of preliminary and intermediate decisions being madeduring an evaluation period prior to a final decision to, for example,fund a business endeavor or to license or purchase rights to a patentapplication. These preliminary and intermediate decisions are typicallymade based on a select portion of the confidential information ratherthan the confidential information in its entirety. At various phases inthe evaluation of a business plan or patent application, only a limitedand known portion of the confidential information is used for making thedetermination to continue with or discontinue the evaluation.Consequently, the disclosure of the confidential information in itsentirety at the inception of a business relationship is generally notnecessary or desirable. In instances where the confidential informationis disclosed in its entirety, the disclosure of the confidentialinformation not used to make the immediate decisions may unnecessarilyand unknowingly adversely affect the proprietary position of thedisclosing party.

A confidential disclosure agreement (also sometimes referred to as anon-disclosure agreement) is often used as an instrument forfacilitating the disclosure of confidential information. Theconfidential disclosure agreement defines a set of mutually agreed uponterms under which the confidential information is disclosed between twoor more parties. The confidential disclosure agreement typically setsforth terms such as the length of time of confidentiality between theparties, the purpose for which the confidential information is beingdisclosed and the conditions under which one party may disclose and/oruse the confidential information without the consent of the other party.In general, the intent of a confidential disclosure agreement is toclarify the expectations of each party associated with the disclosure ofthe confidential information.

In many business transactions, information is communicated over one ormore computer networks. Computer networks such as the Internet present aparticularly difficult arena for disclosing confidential informationsuch as business plans and patent applications. The unsecure nature ofmany computer networks presents valid degree of concern with regards tocommunicating confidential information. Information, confidential orotherwise, may be intercepted by an unauthorized party while theinformation is being transmitted from a disclosing party to a receivingparty. Even once the information is received by the receiving party,unauthorized personnel may have ready access to the information. Whetherthe information is intercepted by an unauthorized party duringtransmission or accessed by an unauthorized party once received by thereceiving party, the disclosure of confidential information in itsentirety in a single communication can lead to serious and irreparabledamage to the disclosing party's interests. This is particularly truewith respect to the rights associated with patents and opportunitiesassociated with business plans.

Another example of an asset that is difficult to exchange is a trade orservice name. Trade and services mark registers are maintained by thefederal government and each of the several states of the United States.Availability of names for use as a trade mark or service mark must areavailable if not identical to or deceptive similar to a name previouslyregistered. Names for use as the name of a corporation or other legalentity or as an assumed business name are registered with each of theseveral states and in the case of assumed business names, by counties.In most states, no automated system exists to cross referencereservation and use of a name for a corporation or other legal entitywith names registered as an assumed business name or names protected bycommon law. Names used commercially may be protected by common lawwithout registration if prior commercial use is established.

The legal community and business owners and entrepreneurs and others whoservice them are faced with a time consuming and laborious task whensearching for availability of a name for use within a state andcertainly regionally or nationally for any of the purposes mentioned.For example, availability of a name on the Federal Register for TradeMark or Service Mark does not mean that name is available in each of theseveral states of the United States; consequently, a search must be madeof each of the states in which the business plans to make use of thename. One difficulty is the making of a search of the data base of eachof these governmental agencies. Another difficulty is a search of namesin other data bases for legal entities and assumed business names aswell as data bases for names maintained at the state and county level.

When a search locates similar names used by others, a difficulty oftenarises in arranging for the use of the name, such as by the offer, saleand/or transfer of the rights to use names. A person or company desiringto acquire the legal rights to a protected name often must perform aninvestigation to track down the legal owner in order to opennegotiations. This process requires the use of all means ofcommunication—telephone, mail, e-mail, fax, and face to face negotiationconferences and is often inefficient and consumes capital and manyperson hours. The expenditure for tracing may prove fruitless becausethe owner of the legal rights cannot be found, or when found the owneris not interested in sale and transfer of their legal rights. Similarly,in instances where the law forbids the use of a name that is deceptivelysimilar to another name already in use, a difficulty is presented by theanalysis of the factors which are considered to determine similarity andwhether the similarity is deceptive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore a need has arisen for the facilitation of an integratedexchange of all types of capital, including both financial andintellectual, with a uniform representation of those capital types.

A further need has arisen for a computer-based, automated exchangesystem in which the uniform representation of capital is the medium ofthe exchange.

A further need has arisen for a method and system which enhances thedetermination of value of an offered asset with knowledge beyond theoffered price, such as the knowledge of and guarantees by each partyobtained during an exchange transaction.

A further need has arisen for a method and system that reduce the risksassociated with disclosure of confidential information by disclosure ofconfidential information in discrete segments.

A further need has arisen for a method and system that providescomputerized, simultaneous and automated integration of multipleprocesses involved in the creation, registration, sale and transfer ofnames.

In accordance with the present invention, a method and system areprovided that provide a uniform exchange for assets of different types.Assets are defined as digital automated equities and registered on acommon exchange so that automated matching of the digital automatedequities provides a basis for exchanging different types of assets.

In one embodiment, assets are defined as digital automated equitiescomprising objects instantiated with attributes of the assets. Thedigital automated equities are registered on an exchange as offerormediary objects having predetermined attributes for comparison. Assetsof one type may define attributes allowing the exchange of the asset fora different type of asset. For instance, a digital automated equity mayallow an object representing a patent asset to be exchanged for softwareprogramming services to develop the technology of the patent. In thisexample, the exchange system compares the attributes of the patentdigital automated equity with digital automated equities havingattributes of programming services.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a basis for theexchange of confidential information to enhance the valuation of assetsproposed for exchange. For instance, a knowledge-driven exchangeencapsulates attributes of an offeree in an object and varies conditionsof an exchange between an offeror and an offeree based on the attributesof the offeree. A query specification of an offeree establishes the typeof information requested by the offeree and relates that information tooffered information on the exchange. In a knowledge-based exchange, thelevel of information available provides a basis for accurate valuationof assets and is exchanged in a manner which limits the risk ofinappropriate disclosure.

The present invention provides a number of important technicaladvantages. One important technical advantage is the facilitation of anintegrated exchange of all types of capital, including financial andintellectual capital with a uniform representation. Throughrepresentation of assets as objects on a common exchange system, thepresent invention allows more efficient pricing and exchange of variousassets. The use of object oriented techniques allows comparison ofpredetermined attributes to establish a basis for the exchange ofdissimilar assets in a common marketplace. For instance, digitalautomated equities representing various assets, such as patents,tradenames, consulting time and proprietary information, are listed on acommon exchange to allow negotiation and exchange of the assets in anautomated manner without translating the value of the assets intomonetary values.

Another important technical advantage of the present invention is thatthe determination of value of offered assets is based on knowledgebeyond just the offered price of the asset, to include knowledge andguarantees by each party obtained during an exchange negotiation.Listing of assets as objects allows anonymous exchange of offers withthe value of offers unaffected by proprietary information relating tothe offeror and/or offeree. By establishing an arms length uniform basisfor exchanging different types of assets, the present invention providesan automated trust in which confidential information is exchanged toaccurately value assets. Further, by relating disclosure of informationto actions performed to obtain that information, the confidentiality ofinformation is better protected. Further segmented disclosure ofinformation allows more precise determination of values as an exchangebecomes more likely.

One important technical advantage of the present invention is to achievesavings in time and expense in the process of (1) determining theavailability of names for commercial use and (2) selling andtransferring rights to names. For example, at present, web site domainnames—which are growing at a rapid rate—are regulated by the UnitedStates Department of Commerce through an outsourcing contract withNetwork Solutions, Inc. Domain names are permitted if not identical to aname previously registered. Many domain names have been registered bypersons or entities that are making no commercial use of the registereddomain name. These domain names are held “on the shelf” by the registraron speculation that the name will have value to another who wishes tomake commercial use of the domain name in connection with an activebusiness. Search for the legal owner of a domain name is not automatedat present. The present invention provides an automated method andsystem for tracking and exchanging domain names.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention and advantagesthereof may be acquired by referring to the following description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an UML use case diagram for the overall integratedcapital creation process;

FIG. 2 depicts an activity diagram that describes the temporal flow ofthe use cases depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts the steps in the Create DAQ use case;

FIG. 4 depicts a class diagram describes the content of an illustrativeDAQ resulting from the Create DAQ process;

FIG. 5 depicts the relationship between two general types of DAQs;

FIG. 6 depicts a class diagram of the general structure of a DAQ;

FIG. 7 depicts an activity diagram that defines the steps in the IssueCXO process;

FIG. 8 depicts a class diagram that defines the results of Define CXOactivity;

FIG. 9 depicts an instance diagram for a CXO;

FIG. 10 depicts the interaction of first and second mediaries to matchoffers;

FIG. 11 depicts the life cycle of an offeror mediary;

FIG. 12 depicts a class diagram for a CXO mediary;

FIG. 13 depicts an activity diagram for the Match CXO use case;

FIG. 14 depicts a class diagram for a mediary registry;

FIG. 15 depicts the mechanism for handling the matching process;

FIG. 16 depicts an activity diagram for the Settle Transaction use case;

FIG. 17 depicts a class diagram for the ownership log of a DAQ;

FIG. 18 depicts a class diagram for the transaction log;

FIG. 19 depicts a UML use case diagram for a knowledge-based exchangeprocess;

FIG. 20 depicts an activity diagram that defines the temporal sequenceof use cases for a knowledge-based exchange;

FIG. 21 depicts an activity diagram for the register asset use case;

FIG. 22 depicts a class diagram for an offeror mediary;

FIG. 23 depicts an activity diagram for the request information usecase;

FIG. 24 depicts a class diagram for Requestor Mediaries;

FIG. 25 depicts an activity diagram for the exchange asset use case;

FIG. 26 depicts a class diagram for knowledge-based exchange logging;

FIG. 27 depicts a conceptual view of segmented information;

FIG. 28 depicts a class diagram for segmented information;

FIG. 29 depicts a class diagram of an offeror mediary;

FIG. 30 depicts an activity diagram for requesting information as anasset in the request asset use case;

FIG. 31 depicts a class diagram for an investor mediary;

FIG. 32 depicts an activity diagram for the staged disclosure ofinformation as an asset;

FIG. 33 depicts a class diagram for mediary interactions for stageddisclosure;

FIG. 34 depicts a class diagram for the logging of staged disclosure;

FIG. 35 depicts a block diagram of network communication for stageddisclosure;

FIG. 36 depicts a flow diagram for establishing ownership of a name; and

FIG. 37 depicts a flow diagram for an automated name search.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in thefigures, like numeral being used to refer to like and correspondingparts of the various drawings.

The figures describe a method and a system for the creation ofintegrated capital and the exchange of that capital in variousembodiments. The notation employed for many of the figures in thisdocument is the Unified Modeling Language (UML). The UML is a modelinglanguage aimed primarily at object-oriented systems, applications, andbusiness models. A full description of the UML exists on the ObjectManagement Group (OMG) web page at http://www.omg.org.

The present invention provides a definition for a uniform medium, thedigital automated equity (DAQ), for expressing both financial andintellectual capital. An FCDAQ defines a piece of financial capital,such as a stock or bond, whereas an ICDAQ defines a piece ofintellectual capital, such as consulting time or a patent. These generaltypes of DAQs may be further specialized. For example, both SecuriDAQsand MoneDAQs are types of FCDAQs. The former represents a stocksecurity, whereas the latter defines a monetary holding. In alternativeembodiments, alternative types of DAQs may be defined as desired fordifferent types of capital.

A DAQ is not merely a conceptual entity. It is a three-dimensionalgraphical object that is tied to an underlying software object. The DAQpresents functions to a user through which that user can query andmanipulate the DAQ. The DAQ then interacts with its underlying softwareobject to carry out those requests. Generally DAQs are operational toperform functions including: (1) the ability to calculate a value givencertain assumptions (such as securitization by a SecuriDAQ); (2) amaintenance of the its pedigree in terms of a history of transactions inwhich the DAQ has been involved; (3) an embodiment of variable businesslogic; (4) an embodiment of variable vocabulary; and (5) an ability todeclare its identity. DAQs perform these functions with system-definedcontent, such as graphical appearance, and system-defined capabilitiessuch as the ability to respond to queries about identity. Additionally,DAQs include user-defined content, such as business plans andpresentations, and user-defined capabilities, such as the ability tocalculate valuation. Also, DAQs may contain other DAQs that define aportion of value of the overall DAQ, such as a DAQ for warrants for aprivate company offered for venture capital that includes a DAQrepresenting the patents owned by the private company.

The present invention also provides for integration of the trading offinancial and intellectual capital, where the common expression of thatcapital is the DAQ. In this integrated exchange, one DAQ is exchangedfor another, meaning that DAQs, rather than money, change hands. Tooffer a DAQ in exchange for some other DAQ, a user creates a capitalexchange offer (CXO) that specifies which DAQ is being offered and whatis desired in return. In this exchange, therefore, the traditional rolesof buyer and seller is altered in the sense that all buyers and sellersare offerors who create CXOs.

In the present invention, therefore, the exchange of DAQs is a two-stepprocess. During the first step, capital is represented as a DAQ. Forintellectual property, that property is transformed into intellectualcapital that is expressed as an ICDAQ. During the second step, the ownerof capital can offer it for exchange by creating and registering theappropriate CXO.

The actual trading of DAQs is facilitated by communicating mediaries.Each party in the exchange is represented by a mediary that can collectinformation, make offers, and manage exchanges. Like a DAQ, a mediarypresents itself as a three-dimensional graphical object that interactswith an underlying soft-ware object. In the case of a mediary, however,that underlying object is a CXO. When the trading exchange matches twoCXOs, those CXOs interact with one another and, through their mediaries,handle any subsequent negotiations and the closing of the transaction.

In one embodiment of the present invention a computer-based exchange andsupporting communication medium allows the parties in a transaction toexchange information about and guarantees by one another. In atransaction of one or more negotiations, during each of which one partyprovides information or a guarantee to the other, the disclosure ofinformation is valued, tracked and controlled.

The success of a knowledge-based exchange depends upon the trust of theparties in the exchange and its communication medium. Methods andsystems of the present invention include steps that limit the potentialfor information of a disclosing party to be intercepted and disclosed byan unauthorized party, and they track the disclosure of the variouspieces of information. Tracking the disclosure of information greatlyreduces the potential for unauthorized access of the information and theuse of the information with deceptive intent. For instance, in adisclosure of confidential information, the offeror of that informationmay elect to disclose it in discrete segments, with the disclosure ofeach segment requiring a specific piece of information (such as anon-disclosure agreement) or amount of capital from the other party tothe transaction. Further, an offeror may provide evaluation criteria toevaluate the identity and guarantees of others when inspecting offers.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a communication medium isestablished that is trusted by both the receiving and disclosingparties. Methods and systems of the present invention incorporate stepsthat limit the potential for information of a disclosing party to beunintentionally and unnecessarily disclosed. The methods and systems ofthe present invention also track the disclosure of the various segmentsof information. By tracking the disclosure of information, the potentialfor unauthorized access of the information and the use of theinformation with deceptive intent is greatly reduced.

Rather than disclose the information in its entirety, the information isdisclosed in discrete segments. The disclosure of the information isgoverned by the fulfillment of certain disclosure enablement acts thatpermit the next segment of information to be disclosed. By disclosinginformation in a segmented manner, the disclosure of unnecessaryportions of information during an evaluation of an opportunity,technology or other subject matter is greatly reduced.

One enablement act is the execution of a confidential disclosureagreement. In one configuration, the system of the present inventioncommunicates a segment-specific confidential disclosure agreement to thereceiving party. To effect the disclosure of the related segment of theinformation, the receiving party must execute the segment-specificconfidential disclosure agreement. Once the executed confidentialdisclosure agreement is received by the system of the present invention,the related segment of information is communicated to the receivingparty.

The information can be disclosed in a mandated (phased) sequence, anon-mandated sequence (parallel) or a combination thereof. In someinstances, it is desirable for the information to be disclosed in apredefined sequence. In other instances, it is desirable for thereceiving party to be able to at least partially control the sequence inwhich the information is disclosed. For example, the disclosure ofinformation pertaining to the license of a patent application is wellsuited to follow a mandated disclosure sequence. The disclosure ofinformation pertaining to the potential investment in an opportunitythat is defined in a business plan is well suited to follow a mandatedsequence for the initial evaluation and then a non-mandated sequence forthe remainder of the evaluation.

To prevent unauthorized access of the information, the method includesseveral security measures for deterring unauthorized access to theinformation. One security measure includes an information transmittalauthorization request being communicated to the receiving party prior tocommunication of the information once the receiving party fulfills therequired disclosure enablement act. After a system-recognized passwordis communicated from the receiving party to the system of the presentinvention, the requested segment of information is communicated to thereceiving party. Another security measure includes communicating theinformation from the system of the present invention to the receivingparty in an encrypted format. After the information is communicated, atransmittal confirmation request is communicated from the system of thepresent invention to the receiving party. A decryption code iscommunicated to the receiving party once a transmittal confirmationpassword is communicated from the receiving party to the system of thepresent invention. A further security measure includes precluding theinformation or decryption code from being communicated to the receivingparty if a predetermined period of time elapses prior to the respectivepassword being received by the system.

The disclosure of the information is logged to provide a record of allrelated disclosure activities. The communications of the encryptedinformation segment and the various confirmation requests are logged bythe system of the present invention. Similarly, the communications ofthe related passwords to the system of the present invention are logged.By logging these activities, the potential for unintentional disclosureand unauthorized access of the information is greatly reduced.

In another embodiment of the present invention a computerized method andsystem are provided that identify names available for use and then aidthe exchange of the name, such as for another DAQ. A simultaneous andautomated search for name availability in national, state and local databases, is performed with analysis of similarity factors affecting nameavailability, name registration in a centralized computer data base thatis linked to all federal, state, and local computer name data bases. Theidentification of a name is coupled with an automated computerizedsystem for offer, sale, and transfer of names.

Exchange System for Digital Automated Equities

Referring now to FIG. 1, a UML use case diagram for the overallintegrated capital creation process is depicted in an exchange system 8.An offeror 10, such as an individual or organization, owns capital andmay therefore offer that capital in exchange for other capital fromanother offeror. Offeror 10 employs the Create DAQ use case 12 to createa Digital Automated Equity (DAQ) intellectual capital component (ICC).Offeror 10 can then offer the created ICC for sale by applying the IssueCXO use case 14 to create a Capital Exchange Offer (CXO). Each time aCXO is registered, the system employs the Match CXOs use case 16 tosearch for a matching offer. When it matches two CXOs, the systeminitiates the Negotiate Transaction use case 18. During that interval,the two parties negotiate the final terms of the agreement, including adecision to not pursue the agreement. If the two parties reach anagreement, the Settle Transaction use case 20 handles the exchange ofassets. Offeror 10 can apply the Cancel CXO use case 22 to cancel anexisting CXO. The Expire CXO use case 24 cancels an existing CXO upon apredetermined condition, such as the passage of a predetermined time.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an activity diagram describes the temporal flowof the use cases depicted in FIG. 1. First and second offerors 10 createand exchange DAQs, with the “swim-lanes” 26 in the figure specifying theofferor 10 and use case responsible for executing each activity. At step28, a determination is made of whether the DAQ exists before a CXO isissued for that DAQ. If no DAQ exists, Create DAQ use case 12 creates aDAQ, and if a DAQ exists, the process proceeds to Issue CXO use case 14.Once a DAQ exists, Offeror 10 can issue any number of CXOs for the DAQ.The presence of two offeror swim-lanes 26 indicates that two distinctofferors 10 have each registered a CXO with Issue CXO use case 14 andare involved in an exchange process. The synchronization bar 30indicates that the creation of an DAQ and subsequent issuing of a CXO bythe two offerors 10 can proceed in parallel, but that both must haveregistered CXOs before any matching can occur.

Conceptually, the Match CXO's activity, and therefore the correspondingMatch CXO use case 16, executes until a match is found, and so when theactivity terminates, such a match has been identified. At that point,the two offerors 10 negotiate the transaction with Negotiate Transactionuse case 18. If the negotiations are successful, the offerors 10 settlethe transaction with Settle Transaction use case 20 and the exchange iscomplete at step 32. If the negotiations are unsuccessful, then thefailure to settle the transaction ends the exchange process at step 32.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the steps in the Create DAQ use case 12, andthus the Create DAQ activity of FIG. 2, are depicted for intellectual orfinancial capital to result in the definition and registration ofinformation for the DAQ. The creation of a DAQ is a three-step process.At step 34, a determination is made of whether the capital isintellectual or financial in nature so that a financial or capitalcomponent may be created as appropriate at steps 36 and 38. At step 40,a DAQ is defined, including definition of its appearance and anyuse-specific content and capabilities. Then at step 42, the DAQ isregistered with the exchange system 8.

During registration of the underlying financial or intellectualcomponents of a DAQ, type and property information is collected. At aminimum, a capital component, for example, has a type that defines thegeneral category of the component. For instance, capital componentsmight include types for stock holdings, monetary holdings, etc. . . . ,and intellectual capital components might include types for internetdomain names, patents, or consulting time. A component's properties,enumerated during the registration at steps 36 or 38, define the exactnature of the component. For an internet domain name, for example, theproperty of interest is the name itself. For a stock holding, theproperties might include the specific security and number of sharesheld.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a class diagram describes the content of anillustrative DAQ that results from the Create DAQ process. Capitalcomponent 44 is an abstract class of components having the associateddescription of capital property 46. Intellectual capital component 48and financial capital component 50 are specific, concrete types ofcapital components.

Referring now to FIG. 5, two general types of DAQs and theirrelationship to each other are depicted. DAQ 50 includes an intellectualcapital DAQ 52 and a financial capital DAQ 54. Intellectual capital DAQ52 is tied to intellectual capital component 56. Financial capital DAQ54 is tied to financial capital component 58. Each capital component 56and 58 from capital component 60 may have a single DAQ issued for it.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a class diagram depicts the general structureof a DAQ 50. Presentation aspect 62 defines the visual appearance of theDAQ, with each presentation aspect 62 defining a single view of the DAQ.An underlying DAQ business object 64 is an application software objectthat houses the non-presentation, system-defined state and behavior ofthe DAQ 50. Attached to DAQ business object 64 is a user-definedcapability 66 specific to DAQ 50 as specified by offeror 10 at creationof DAQ 50. Capability 66 includes a piece behavior and any staterequired by that behavior as well as a public interface through whichbusiness object 64 may execute the behavior. Offeror 10 assigns theuser-defined capability 66 to define and allow access to visualcharacteristics and rendering of the capability in a presentation aspect62 for that capability.

In one embodiment, an offeror includes a business plan with a DAQ 50that represents shares in a private company. User-defined capability 66is defined by the offeror to include a URL for the business plan and apassword to access the business plan. The execution behavior of thecapability downloads the document at the URL and opens the document withentry of the password. Presentation aspect 62 defines a graphical userinterface or other graphical view of the business plan capability, forinstance by allowing a user to point and click to retrieve the businessplan. Interaction with the capability causes the DAQ to interact withthe DAQ business object 64 for downloading and opening the businessplan.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an activity diagram defines the steps in theIssue CXO process in which a CXO is registered for exchange. A CapitalExchange Offer (CXO) is an offer to exchange a capital component, asrepresented by an existing DAQ, in return for a capital component ownedby another offeror. The Issue CXO process includes two steps that areanalogous to those for creating an ICC: the define Capital ExchangeOffer 68, and the register Capital Exchange Offer 70 with the exchangesystem 8.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a class diagram depicts the CXO that resultsfrom the Define CXO process of FIG. 7. A CXO includes the DAQ for whichthe CXO is being issued, as well as a set of conditions that define theterms of the offering, i.e., the “exchange price” of the DAQ. A DAQoffered in exchange for another DAQ has the exchange price to define thetype of capital component or DAQ desired in return, the amount of thecomponent desired and any other conditions that apply. For instance, anoffering of an ICDAQ such as an internet domain name in exchange forconditions such as a requested price, defined in terms of a MoneDAQ (amonetary DAQ), would involve an exchange price specifying an amount ofMoneDAQ. As another example, an offering of a patent might seekconditions such as a price in a MoneDAQ or a price in shares of stocksuch as a SecuriDAQ, and include an indication of whether the offeringis for a full transfer or a mere licensing of the patent rights.

CXO 72 of DAQ 50 includes a set of CXO conditions 74 that limit theoffering, with each condition describing a limitation. For instance, aDAQ representing a patent might be offered with the condition that theoffer is for predetermined licensing rights rather than assignment ofall rights. Exchange price 76 defines the DAQ asked for the exchange.CXO 72 includes an expiration time with an “optional” propertyindicating that the offer is valid until fulfilled or canceled.

Referring now to FIG. 9, an instance diagram depicts a CXO 72 thatoffers a Patent DAQ 78 with a CXO condition 74 or licensing rights onlyin exchange for a exchange price 76 with CXO conditions 74 of 1000shares of common stock. The instance diagram illustrates therelationship of CXO conditions to the offered DAQ and the proposedexchange price.

Referring now to FIG. 10, the interaction of first and second mediariesto match offers is depicted. The exchange system continually carries outthe Match CXOs use case 16 as depicted in FIG. 2 to match a pair ofCXOs. Upon registration of a CXO, a corresponding CXO mediary 80 iscreated and initiated to act as an agent for the CXO. CXO mediary 80embodies a thread of execution that searches exchange system 8 for otherCXO mediaries and determine whether a match exists with the exchangeprice of the found mediary CXO.

Generally, the Match CXOs process operates on a candidate CXO andattempts to find an existing CXO that matches the candidate CXO. Thefirst step in the matching process is to select CXOs based on DAQ type.This process eliminates CXOs that, because they are not offerings of thedesired type of DAQ, cannot possibly match the candidate CXO. Whatremains after than step is a list of CXOs that potentially match thecandidate CXO. The remaining steps iterate through that list, selectingeach existing CXO and comparing it to the candidate CXO. The propertiesof each of the two CXOs' DAQs are compared to the other CXO'sconditions; if the two sets of properties do not match, the CXO isdiscarded. For example, if one CXO offers a domain name in return forcash, but the other CXO offers consulting time in return for a domainname, the two CXOs cannot match. Otherwise, the conditions of the CXOsare compared to obtain a measure of how “close” the two sets ofconditions match one another. If the two sets of conditions do not matchat all, the CXO is discarded. Otherwise, the selected CXO is placed inthe list of matching CXOs ordered by the “closeness” measurement so thatthe CXO that is “closest” to the candidate CXO appears first. At the endof this process, the ordered list of matching CXOs is sent to theOfferor who issued the candidate CXO.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a state transition diagram depicts the lifecycle of a CXO mediary. The matching operation between two Mediaries iscommutative, meaning that if a first Mediary inspects a second Mediaryand determines that a match exists, then should the second Mediaryinspect the first, it would identify the same match. If a Mediary failsto find a matching Mediary it enters a dormant state, and remains inthat dormant state until a subsequently issued Mediary inspects it andfinds a match, or until it is canceled or expires.

The initial state of the life cycle of an Offeror Mediary is activestate 82 in which the Mediary inspects other Mediaries of exchangesystem 8 to determine a Match. If a Match is found, the Offeror Mediarytransitions to a pending state 84 until the Match is either accepted ornot accepted. If the Match is accepted, the Offeror Mediary transitionsto fulfilled state 86 indicating that the Mediary is no longer availablefor completion of the state transitions at state 94. If no matchingMediary is found at active state 82, or no Match is accepted at pendingstate 84, then the Offeror Mediary transitions to dormancy state 88 inwhich it is available for inspection by other Mediaries. If anotherMediary in active state 82 inspects and Matches a Mediary in dormancystate 88, then the Mediary in dormancy state 88 may transition tofulfilled state 86 if the matching Mediary results in an accepted Match.

As FIG. 11 indicates, a dormant Mediary can expire at expired state 82.A CXO Mediary shares its CXO's expiration time set through expire CXOuse case 24. When that expiration time arrives, the status of both theMediary and the CXO is altered to indicate that the offer has expired.In addition, a dormant Mediary can be canceled by applying the CancelCXO use case 22 at canceled state 84. When an Offeror elects to cancelan existing, unfulfilled offer, the Offeror invokes the CXO's cancelmethod, such as through a cancel graphical user interface. The CXO thencancels its Mediary, which results in the immediate withdrawal of theMediary.

Referring now to FIG. 12 a class diagram for the CXO Mediary 80 isdepicted. Each CXO Mediary 80 has a status that reflects its state asspecified by FIG. 11, and shares the expiration time of its CXO and theDAQ type of its CXO's DAQ. In addition, the CXO Mediary 80 has the sameexchange price 76 and conditions 74 as its CXO, as indicated by the twoconstraints in FIG. 12. When a CXO Mediary 80 is first registered, itsearches the existing dormant CXO Mediaries for matching CXOs. This isthe Match CXO use case 16 and activity in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively.

Referring now to FIG. 13, an activity diagram defines the basic stepsthat occur during that Match CXOs process. During the Match CXOsprocess, the candidate Mediary identify any existing Mediaries thatmatch it. As its first step, the Mediary selects dormant Mediaries thatsatisfy the following two rules:

-   -   1.) The DAQ type being requested by the candidate Mediary, as        specified in the Mediary's exchange price, matches the type of        DAQ being offered by the other Mediary; and    -   2.) The DAQ type being offered by the candidate Mediary, as        specified by the Mediary's offered DAQ type, matches the DAQ        type of the exchange price of the other Mediary.

For example, if a Mediary represents an offer to exchange stock sharesfor money, then only offers of MoneDAQs in exchange for SecuriDAQs matchthis Mediary. Thus, the selection activity 94 eliminates Mediaries fromconsideration that, because they are not offerings of or requests forthe correct types of DAQs, cannot match the candidate Mediary, selectand remove step 96 selects a potential Match from the list of potentialMatches generated by select step 94 and forwards the potential Match tocompare step 98 for a comparison between the active CXO Mediary and theSelected Potential Match Mediary. If there are Matches between theactive CXO Mediary and the list of potential Matches, at step 100 theCXOs corresponding to the matching Mediaries are ordered by closeness.If Matches are found, the Mediary enters the pending state at step 102.If no Matches are found, the Mediary enters the dormant state at step104.

Referring now to FIG. 14, a class diagram depicts how the selection isaccomplished. A Mediary Registry 106 maintains a list of dormant CXOMediaries. Furthermore, that list is qualified (that is, keyed) by thecombination of the offered and desired DAQ types of the Mediary. Whenasked by a CXO Mediary 80 to select CXO Mediaries for a specific offeredtype and a specific desired type, the Mediary Registry 106 returns alist of Mediaries with those combinations of types. For instance, in theexample cited earlier in which the licensing rights of a patent areoffered in exchange for 1000 shares of common stock, the CXO Mediary 80would ask the Registry for a list of existing, dormant CXOs whoseoffered type is a SecuriDAQ and whose desired type is a PatentDAQ. Whena CXO Mediary 80 finds no matching Mediaries and therefore becomesdormant, it registers with the Mediary Registry so that future CXOMediaries will find and attempt to match it. Likewise, a matched,canceled, or expired Mediary unregisters itself with the Registry uponcancellation or expiration.

What remains after the selection is a list of Mediaries whose CXOspotentially match the CXO of the candidate Mediary. The candidateMediary iterates through that list, comparing its CXO conditions to theconditions of the other Mediary's exchange price, and requesting theother Mediary to compare its CXO conditions to the conditions in thecandidate Mediary's exchange price. If both match, the other Mediary'sCXO is added to a list of matching CXOs and the list is ordered by a“closeness” measurement so that the CXO that is “closest” to thecandidate CXO appears first. At the end of this process, the orderedlist of matching CXOs is sent to the Offeror who issued the candidateCXO.

Referring now to FIG. 15, the basic mechanism that handles the matchingis depicted. A CXO Mediary 80 employs an instance of a Matching Strategyclass 108 that performs the matching. Matching Strategy instance 108includes a calculateMatch method that, given two CXO Mediary instances,inspects the two instances and determines how closely the two match oneanother. That method returns an integer value indicating the relativecloseness of the match. The higher the value, the more closely the twoMediaries match.

Matching Strategy class 108 is an abstract class, and its calculateMatchmethod is an abstract method. Each concrete subclass of MatchingStrategy class 108 implements a particular matching algorithm. This isan application of the “Strategy” design pattern. Treating the matchingalgorithm as a separate class hierarchy allows the introduction ofimproved matching algorithms over time.

Once an active CXO Mediary 80 and its corresponding CXO have matched oneor more dormant CXO Mediaries, the exchange system 8 presents theOfferor 10 of the active CXO Mediary 80 with the CXOs of those matchingMediaries, ordered by the closeness of the match. The Offeror inspectseach and initiates negotiations for any matching CXO in which theOfferor is interested in pursuing further. The actual negotiation,depicted as the Negotiate Transaction use case 18 may employ the StagedDisclosure of Information Over a Computer Network process. The Offerorsof both matching CXOs participate in that staged disclosure process.During that process, each Offeror may elect to release to the otherOfferor additional information about the DAQ being offered. An Offerorof a PatentDAQ, for example, may choose, upon receipt of an electronicnon-disclosure agreement, to provide additional details of the patent.An Offeror can also employ the system-defined and user-definedcapabilities of a matching CXO's DAQ when evaluating the Offeror'sinterest in that CXO.

Upon completion of the Negotiate Transaction use case 18, the twoOfferors have either agreed to the exchange of DAQs or one of theOfferors has terminated the negotiation process. If the Offerors haveagreed to an exchange, then the Settle Transaction use case 20 isapplied to finalize the transaction. Referring now to FIG. 16, anactivity diagram defines the steps in that use case. At Step 110, eachDAQ's “pedigree” is updated to include the new owner of the DAQ, and atStep 112, each of the DAQs is physically transferred from one Offeror tothe other. Concurrent to those activities, the entire transaction islogged at Step 114.

The pedigree of a DAQ is, at least in part, its list of owners.Referring now to FIG. 17, a class diagram defines the Ownership Log 116of a DAQ. The Ownership Log 116 is linked to the DAQ Business Object118, which is the underlying application software for the DAQ. The Logcontains a list of Ownership Log Entries 120. Each Entry retains theowner and the dates that owner acquired and relinquished the DAQ. Therelinquish date is optional, as the current owner of the DAQ has no suchdate. An Ownership Log's Entries are ordered by their acquisition dates.

Referring now to FIG. 18, a class diagram defines the overalltransaction log 122 maintained by the exchange system 8. Each time oneDAQ is exchanged for another, the system logs the identities of the twoparties, two DAQs that were exchanged, and any limitations to theexchange with transaction log entry 124.

Staged Disclosure in Knowledge-Driven Exchange

Another embodiment of the present invention is the staged disclosure ofnon-public information to another party. The information is disclosed inone or more discrete segments governed by the fulfillment of certaindisclosure enablement acts that permit the next segment of informationto be disclosed. By disclosing information in a segmented manner, thedisclosure of unnecessary portions of information during an evaluationof an opportunity, technology or other subject matter is greatlyreduced.

For instance, in one embodiment of staged disclosure, a confidentialdisclosure agreement is executed in conjunction with communication ofsegments of information. To effect the disclosure of the related segmentof the information, the receiving party must execute a segment-specificconfidential disclosure agreement. Once the executed confidentialdisclosure agreement is received by the exchange system, the relatedsegment of information is communicated to the receiving party.

The information can be disclosed in a mandated (phased) sequence, anon-mandated sequence (parallel) or a combination thereof. In someinstances, it is desirable for the information to be disclosed in apredefined sequence. In other instances, it is desirable for thereceiving party to be able to at least partially control the sequence inwhich the information is disclosed. For example, the disclosure ofinformation pertaining to the license of a patent application is wellsuited to follow a mandated disclosure sequence. The disclosure ofinformation pertaining to the potential investment in an opportunitythat is defined in a business plan is well suited to follow a mandatedsequence for the initial evaluation and then a non-mandated sequence forthe remainder of the evaluation.

This process is knowledge-driven in that the owner of the informationuses knowledge about the requester, as well as guarantees provided bythe requester, in evaluating whether to release the information. If therequester resides in a country that does not recognize intellectualproperty rights, for example, or if the requester is a competitor, theinformation's owner may elect not to pursue the disclosure process.Likewise, the information's owner evaluates the guarantees offered bythe requester, such as a promise to use all due diligence to maintainthe privacy of the information, at each step of the disclosure process.

To prevent unauthorized access of the information, the method includesseveral security measures for deterring unauthorized access to theinformation. One security measure includes an information transmittalauthorization request being communicated to the receiving party prior tocommunication of the information once the receiving party fulfills arequired disclosure enablement act. After a system-recognized passwordis communicated from the receiving party to the exchange system, therequested segment of information is communicated to the receiving party.Another security measure includes communicating the information from theexchange system to the receiving party in an encrypted format. After theinformation is communicated, a transmittal confirmation request iscommunicated from the exchange system to the receiving party. Adecryption code is communicated to the receiving party once atransmittal confirmation password is communicated from the receivingparty to the exchange system. A further security measure includesprecluding the information or decryption code from being communicated tothe receiving party if a predetermined period of time elapses prior tothe respective password being received by the system.

The disclosure of the information is logged to provide a record of allrelated disclosure activities. The communications of the encryptedinformation segment and the various confirmation requests are logged bythe exchange system. Similarly, the communications of the relatedpasswords to the exchange system are logged. By logging theseactivities, the potential for unintentional disclosure and unauthorizedaccess of the information is greatly reduced.

Referring now to FIG. 19, a UML use case diagram is depicted for theknowledge-based exchange process in an exchange system 8. The Offeror 10offers an asset, such as information or capital, to a requester 11, suchas individuals or organizations. Offeror 10 employs the Register Assetuse case 126 to describe the specific asset being made available throughexchange 8 to Requestor 11. Using the Request Asset use case 128,Requestor 11 issues a request for a particular type of asset. This mayinvolve browsing all assets that have been previously registered byOfferors, or it may entail issuing a pending request that will informthe Requestor of subsequently registered assets. The Locate Asset usecase 130 is the process by which a request is matched to one or moreregistered assets. When a match occurs, the Requestor 11 is informed ofthe existence of an asset of potential interest. At that point, theRequestor 11 and Offeror 10 participate in the Exchange Asset use case132. In one embodiment, two parties exchange assets, with each partyplaying both the Offeror and Requestor roles. Each party offers an assetand requests an asset in return. In that case, the Exchange Asset usecase 132 includes the transfer of both assets.

Referring now to FIG. 20, an activity diagram describes the temporalflow of the use cases in FIG. 19. The synchronization bar 30 indicatesthat the Offeror's registering of an asset and the Requestor's issuingof a request for an asset at register asset step 126 may occur in anyorder. In some cases, the initial request for the asset occurs beforethe registration of the asset. In such a case, the request is pending,awaiting the subsequent registration of the asset. The swim-lanes 26specify who is responsible for executing each activity. Locate assetstep 130 matches a pending request to one or more assets and thenexchange asset 132 exchanges the request and asset.

Referring now to FIG. 21, an activity diagram describes the steps inRegister Asset use case and activity 126. These steps define the generalprocess for registering an asset by an Offeror 10 as an initial step inthe knowledge-based exchange process. An asset is first defined andregistered on the exchange at the Define Asset activity 134. Once theasset have been defined and registered, it is offered for tradingthrough the creation, registration, and listing on the exchange of anasset mediary. At step 136, an asset mediary is instantiated using theassets definition. At step 138, the mediary is registered and at step140 the mediary is listed on exchange 8, allowing its inspection byother Mediaries.

The knowledge-based exchange process is based on a series ofcommunications between a pair of mediaries. To register an asset to betraded, the Offeror 10 defines and registers an Offeror Mediary thatcontrols external access to that asset. When an Requestor requests anasset, the Requestor registers a Requestor Mediary that searches for therequested asset. The Requestor Mediary is the Requestor's “porthole”into the trading and exchange process. When a Requestor Mediary finds amatching Offeror Mediary, the two mediaries collaborate to facilitatethe negotiations for the exchange. The collaboration between themediaries may require human intervention, such as the manual evaluationof an asset, or it may be automated. For instance, the use of digitalautomated equities (DAQs), provides one mechanism for automation.

Once an asset has been listed by an offeror mediary, as depicted by FIG.22, the mediary ties together the asset 144, the specification of thecontent of the asset 148, and a specification of the offer of the asset.The class diagram depicted in FIG. 22 identifies a specification that arequestor can use to evaluate the value of an offering.

Once the Offer creates registers and lists an Offeror Mediary 142, theMediary is placed in knowledge-based exchange system 8. The Mediary'sidentify specification 146 and content specification 148 are notpublicly available, however, until the completion of the List Mediaryactivity.

The activity diagram in FIG. 23 defines the process for the RequestAsset use case and activity 126, the results of which are the creationand registration of a Requestor Mediary to handle the Requestor's queryfor an asset. During the Instantiate Requestor Mediary activity 150, theRequestor creates the desired Requestor Mediary. Upon its registrationat Register Mediary activity 152, the Mediary can seek a matchingOfferor Mediary.

Referring now to FIG. 24, UML class diagram for the Requestor Mediary154 is depicted. The Mediary 154 consists of a Query Specification 156that describes the information being sought by the Requestor. The QuerySpecification 154 is used in the search for matching Offeror Mediaries.When one asset is being exchanged for another, each party will have bothan Offeror Mediary and a Requestor Mediary. Through the identifyspecification in each party's Offeror Mediary, the other party candetermine the value of asset being offered. A Requestor Mediary 154 alsoincludes an Identity Evaluation Strategy 158 that it employs to evaluatethe Identity Specification of the Offeror Mediary.

The Locate Asset use case and activity 130 embody the process ofmatching an Offeror Mediary to a Requestor Mediary. For the twoMediaries to match, the Content Specification 148 of the Offeror Mediarymust logically imply the Query Specification 156 of the RequestorMediary. For example, if the Content Specification states, “defines amechanism for device polling AND runs on Unix systems,” and the QuerySpecification states, “defines a mechanism for device polling,” then therequest matches the existing asset. If the two specifications arereversed, however, no match occurs.

The Exchange Asset use case and activity 132 constitutes theinteractions between and Offeror Mediary and Requestor Mediary toachieve the exchange of the asset or assets. The activity diagram inFIG. 25 defines the steps in that process. At step 160, the RequestorMediary evaluates the identity of the Offeror, such as by executing theMediary's Identity Evaluation Strategy on the Offeror Mediary's IdentitySpecification. If the Requestor Mediary determines it is stillinterested in the asset, at step 162 the Requestor Mediary makes arequest to the Offeror Mediary to obtain the asset. If the RequestorMediary is not interested, the process ends. At step 164, the OfferorMediary evaluates the request and either accepts the request resultingin a transfer at step 166 or rejects the request, end the process.

The Offeror Mediary maintains an audit trail of each step of theexchange process. The class diagram in FIG. 26 defines the TransactionLog 168 and the content of each entry in the Log. A Transaction Logobject is employed by Offeror Mediaries to log Mediary interactions. AMediary Transaction object 170 is an entry in the log that defines onesuch interaction. It includes the identities of the Offeror Mediary 142and the Requestor Mediary 154 in the interaction, the type anddescription of the interaction, and the date and time of theinteraction.

Exchange System for Information Disclosure

One embodiment of a staged disclosure in a knowledge-driven exchange isthe staged disclosure of information to one or more potential investorsin a company. Referring again to FIG. 19, the UML use case diagramdepicts the staged disclosure process in which the Offeror 10 offersproprietary information for staged disclosure to one or more Requestors11 who are potential Investors. The Register Asset use case 126 is afunction employed by the Offeror 10 to provide a summary of theinformation available to a community of Investors. Using the RequestAsset use case 128, an Investor can issue a request for information.This may involve browsing all information that has been previouslyregistered by Offerors, or it may entail issuing a pending request thatwill inform the Investor of subsequently registered information. TheLocate Asset use case 130 is the process by which a request is matchedto one or more pieces of registered information. When a match occurs,the Investor is informed of the existence of information of potentialinterest to the Investor. At that point, the Investor initiates theExchange Asset use case 132 to provide a staged disclosure ofinformation to the Investor. That use case may also require theparticipation of the Offeror of that information.

The activity diagram in FIG. 20 describes the temporal flow of thestaged disclosure. The synchronization bar in the diagram indicates thatthe Offeror's registering of information and the Investor's issuing of arequest could conceivably occur in either order. That is, in some cases,the initial request for information could occur before the registrationof information. In such a case, the request is pending, awaiting thesubsequent registration of information. A match cannot occur, however,until after the completion of both the registration and the matchingrequest. The “swim-lanes” in the figure specify who is responsible forexecuting each activity.

Referring again to FIG. 21, the steps in the Register Asset use case andactivity 126 are depicted to define the process for registeringinformation. This is the Offeror's initial step in the staged disclosureprocess.

For its staged disclosure, information is organized into segments, whereeach segment represents a “layer” of information. Where desired, asegment can further be broken into a set of components. Referring now toFIG. 27, a conceptual view of segmented information is depicted, wherethe layers and layer “slices” are segments 172 and segment components174, respectively. Each layer 172 is disclosed during one stage of thedisclosure process, beginning with the top layer first. At registrationby the Offeror, the information to be disclosed is defined in thissegmented form. Hence, if the information is not already defined in thatform, the Offeror defines it as segmented information in the DefineAsset activity 134 of FIG. 21.

Upon definition of the segmented information with the Define Assetactivity 134, the Offeror's information to be disclosed will beorganized as specified in the (UML) class diagram in FIG. 28. ASegmented Information instance 176 consists of a set of InformationSegments 178, each of which in turn can contains any number ofInformation Components 180. Both Information Segments and InformationComponents are specific types of Information Content 182.

The staged disclosure process is based on a series of communicationsbetween a pair of mediaries. To register segmented information fordisclosure, the Offeror defines and registers an Offeror Mediary thatcontrols external access to that information. In particular, the mediaryassociates an action and a capability with each component of theinformation. The capability permits access to that component. Themediary assigns the capability when the related action is fulfilled. Forexample, signing a non-disclosure agreement is an action that, upon itscompletion, provides the investor a capability to read a proprietarydocument.

When an Investor requests information, the Investor registers anInvestor Mediary that searches for the requested information. TheInvestor Mediary is the Investor's “porthole” into the disclosureprocess. When an Investor Mediary finds a matching Offeror Mediary, thetwo mediaries collaborate to facilitate the staged disclosure process.The collaboration between the mediaries may require human intervention,such as the signing of a non-disclosure agreement, or it may beautomated. The use of digital automated equities (DAQs) provides onemechanism for such automation.

Once segmented information has been defined, therefore, the next stepsin the Register Asset process in FIG. 21 are the creation andregistration of an offeror mediary for that segmented information. Themediary associates with each segment and segment component an actionthat, when executed, allows the disclosure of that segment or component.Specifically, when an Investor carries out the action, the Investor isprovided a capability to access the segment or component. The mediarytherefore controls the disclosure of the information being registered.As noted above, mediaries can be either manual or automated. A manualOfferor Mediary informs its Offeror that an Investor has completed anaction and awaits further instructions from the Offeror. An automatedOfferor Mediary, on the other hand, is capable, without Offerorintervention, of validating that an action has been completed and ofproviding the resulting capability to the Investor.

Referring now to FIG. 29, a UML class diagram depicts the OfferorMediary 142 and its related Actions 184 and Capabilities 186. OfferorMediary 142 is linked to a Segmented Information object 188. TheSegmented Information Object 188 includes as Information Content objectsan information segment 190 and an information component 192 which areattached to an Action 184 that via Information Content object 194, whencompleted, provides a Capability 186 to read that object. OfferorMediary 142 also includes a Content Specification object 196 thatcontains a specification of the information controlled by OfferorMediary 142. Content Specification 196 is available to the publicthrough exchange system 8 and is used when matching the information toqueries by Investor Mediaries.

Once the Offer is represented by an Offeror Mediary 142, the Offerorthen registers and lists that Offeror Mediary, as FIG. 21 indicates.When the Register Mediary activity 138 is complete, the Mediary has beenplaced in exchange system 8's staged disclosure system. The Mediary'sContent Specification 196 is not publicly available, however, until thecompletion of the List Mediary activity 140.

The activity diagram in FIG. 30 depicts the process for the RequestAsset use case 128 in FIG. 19 and the identically named activity in FIG.20, the major results of which are the creation and registration of anInvestor Mediary at activity 198 to handle the Investor's query forinformation. During the Instantiate Investor Mediary activity 198, theInvestor creates the desired Investor Mediary. Upon its registration atthe Register Mediary activity 200, the Investor Mediary can seek amatching Offeror Mediary.

FIG. 31 depicts a UML class diagram for the Investor Mediary 202. TheMediary consists of a Query Specification 204 that describes theinformation being sought by the Investor. Query Specification 204 isused in the search for matching Offeror Mediaries.

The Locate Asset use case 130 in FIG. 19 and the activity of the samename in FIG. 20 embody the process of matching an Offeror Mediary 142 toan Investor Mediary 202 for the disclosure of information as an asset.For the two Mediaries to match, the Content Specification 196 of theOfferor Mediary must logically imply the Query Specification 204 of theInvestor Mediary 202. For example, if the Content Specification states,“defines a mechanism for device polling AND runs on Unix systems,” andthe Query Specification states, “defines a mechanism for devicepolling,” then the request matches the existing information. If the twospecifications are reversed, however, no match occurs.

The Staged Disclosure of information as an asset depicted by FIGS. 19and 20, constitute the interactions between and Offeror Mediary 142 andInvestor Mediary 202 to achieve the disclosure of information in stages.The activity diagram in FIG. 32 defines the steps in that process.During the Presentation of Required Action activity 206, the OfferorMediary 142 presents to the Investor Mediary 202 the Action for the nextlevel of Information Content (that is, the next Information Segment 190,or the next Information Component 192 within the current Segmentedinformation 188). The Investor must fulfill that Action in order toaccess the Content.

During the Investor Response activity 208, the Investor Mediary, perhapswith the manual assistance of the Investor and Offeror, responds eitherby fulfilling the Action or by rejecting the request from the OfferorMediary to do so. If the Investor Mediary does not fulfill the Action,then the staged disclosure process terminates at step 210. If theInvestor Mediary performs the Action, however, then at step 212 theOfferor Mediary grants the Investor Mediary a Capability to access theassociated Information Content. This process continues while InformationContent instances for this Segmented Information remain to be disclosed.

The class diagram in FIG. 33 depicts the staged disclosure interactionbetween the Offeror Mediary 142 and Investor Mediary 202. A singleOfferor Mediary 142 interacts with any number of Investor Mediaries 202.During each stage of the disclosure process, the Offeror Mediary 142supplies a Required Action 214 to the Investor Mediary 202. A RequiredAction 214 is essentially a clone of an Action that belongs to thatparticular Investor Mediary 202. However, unlike an Action, a RequiredAction has no connection to a Capability 186 until the Required Actionhas been fulfilled.

The Offeror Mediary 142 maintains an audit trail of each step of thestaged disclosure process. During the Presentation of Required Actionactivity 206 and Grant Capability to Investor activity 212, therefore,the Offeror Mediary 142 logs any Actions and Capabilities it presents tothe Investor Mediary 202. The class diagram depicted by FIG. 34 definesthe Transaction Log and the content of each entry in the Log. ATransaction Log object 216 is employed by Offeror Mediaries 142 to logMediary interactions. A Mediary Transaction object 218 is an entry inthe log that defines one such interaction. It includes for instance, theidentities of the two Mediaries in the interaction, the type anddescription of the interaction, and the date and time of theinteraction.

An exemplary Disclosure Transaction Log is:

Disclosure Log Investor ID: 1XX427 Transaction Related DateObjectmediary Transaction Description 7-Apr-98 2XX342-P-002 CommunicateNDA “A” 9-Apr-98 2XX342-P-002 Receive Executed NDA “A” 9-Apr-982XX342-P-002 Communicate Transfer Authorization 20-Apr-98 2XX342-P-002Receive Transfer Authorization Password 20-Apr-99 2XX342-P-002Communicate Encrypted Objectmediary Segment “A” 20-Apr-99 2XX342-P-002Communicate Segment Transfer Confirmation Request 18-May-99 2XX342-P-002Receive Segment Transfer Confirmation Password 18-May-99 2XX342-P-002Communicate Decryption Code 10-Jan-99 1XX756-B-001 Communicate NDA “A”10-Jan-99 1XX756-B-001 Receive Executed NDA “A” 10-Jan-99 1XX756-B-001Communicate Transfer Authorization 15-Jan-99 1XX756-B-001 ReceiveTransfer Authorization Password 15-Jan-99 1XX756-B-001 CommunicateEncrypted Objectmediary Segment “A” 15-Jan-99 1XX756-B-001 CommunicateSegment Transfer Confirmation Request 14-Feb-99 1XX756-B-001 ReceiveSegment Transfer Confirmation Password 14-Feb-99 1XX756-B-001Communicate Decryption Code

Each line defines one Mediary Transaction. Because this is a log for aparticular Offeror Mediary, the “related object mediary” is the identityof the Investor Mediary. The date portion of each Transaction'stimestamp, as well as the Transaction's description, are included ineach log entry.

The block diagram in FIG. 35 describes the high-level communications inthe embodiment of the staged disclosure process. Exchange system 8communicates with Network System 224, such as an Internet interface or asecure network interface. Offeror 10 creates and lists Offeror Mediariesthrough Offeror computer system 220 in communication with exchangesystem 8 over network system 224. Investor 11 lists Investor Mediariesthrough Investor computer system 222 in communication with Network 224and exchange system 8. If exchange system 8 finds a Match between anOfferor Mediary and Investor Mediary, notice is sent to Inventor 11 witha request for a required action. If Investor 11 performs the requiredaction, such as agreeing to a level of non-disclosure, then exchangesystem 8 automatically provides incremental additional disclosure ofinformation according to the requirements of Offeror or Mediary,including for instance a requirement of approval from Offeror 10. TheMediaries and their components, as well as the Transaction Log, areretained in persistent storage within the exchange system 8.

Exchange System for Naming

One embodiment of the present invention determines the availability ofnames for exchange in commercial use: A computerized method and systemperforms an automated search to determine the availability of a name,make registration of an offer for a name and support the offer, sale andtransfer of the right to use a name in commerce.

In one embodiment, multiple data bases are searched for purposesspecified by a request to acquire rights to a name. Referring now toFIG. 36, a flow diagram depicts the sequence of steps to be performed bythe computerized method and system for locating and exchanging rights toa name. At step 226, a requestor enters a name in the exchange system 8computer software program to search availability of the name for use inone or more of the following categories: domain name for a web site atstep 228, trade mark at step 230, service mark at step 232, name ofcorporation or other type of business organization (legal entity) atstep 234 and/or assumed business name at step 236. An automated searchof the appropriate data bases is performed and a message reporting theresults of the search is returned to the requestor. For example, thereport advises by an on screen message that the name queried isavailable and may be registered, or that an identical name is previouslyregistered and is not available for registration. When name similarityis a consideration, the report indicates that there is a similar nameand the degree of similarity. The report identifies the data base(s)reporting an identical or similar name. The exchange system alsosearches its own registration data base and reports, when on file, theidentity and contact information of the legal owner to the rights of thename.

When a name queried is not available because there is an identical orsimilar name registered in one or more of the relevant data bases, thenat step 240 the exchange system 8 searches its own registration database to determine if the name has been registered as available for saleand transfer. In the event the queried name is available, the requestormay at step 242 electronically register the name—for jurisdictionspermitting electronic registration—and/or alternatively manuallyregisters the name.

In the event the requestor finds the queried name is not available, butthe name is registered as available for sale and transfer, the requestormay direct the exchange system 8 to make an electronic inquiry of theowner at step 238, for instance through the listing of a mediary. Thenegotiation and transaction may be conducted electronically through theexchange system 8 or partially through the system in combination withother channels of communication.

In the event the parties negotiate a sale, the exchange system 8 settlesthe transaction electronically at step 242 and transfers ownershipautomatically at step 244 by changing the system's registration and byelectronically filing transfer information with the appropriatejurisdiction—and/or alternatively offer a manual registration servicefor jurisdictions that do not offer electronic filing. Once atransaction is complete, the exchange system 8 lists an Offeror Mediaryfor the name at step 246 and makes the name available for inspection atstep 246. If a requestor submits an offer acceptable for the name'sowner, then at step 250 the exchange of the name may be arranged andsettled at step 252. If no transaction occurs, then the Offeror'sknowledge of the name is recorded.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow diagram depicts the steps fordetermining the availability of a name. A name inquiry at step 226results in a domain name search with network solutions at step 228. Ifthe name is not available, at step 240 a search is made on the exchangesystem 8 to determine if the domain name is available for sale. If thedomain name is available at network solutions, a search is performed insequence at step 230 for trademark availability with the Patent andTrademark Office, at step 232 for service mark availability with thePatent and Trademark Office, at step 234 corporate name availabilitywith Secretary of State offices, and at step 236 assumed names availablewith the Secretary of State offices. At each of these searches, if thesearch results in the name not being available, a secondary search isperformed at steps 242, 244, 246, and 248 to determine if the name isavailable for sale on the exchange system. If a search results inidentification of similar names at steps 250, 252, 254 and 256 then atstep 258 the requestor is informed of the similarity. If at step 238 thename is available, the requestor can initiate registration of the nameor purchase of the name if the name is only available for sale fromanother owner. If the name is not available, the purchaser can continueto search for other names.

1. A method for operating a network of computer systems to managecapital exchange offers through a series of staged computer-mediateddisclosures comprising: operating a computer system to define and createat least a first and a second capital exchange offer as first and secondsoftware objects (capital-exchange-offer software objects) wherein eachcapital-exchange-offer software object contains terms of an offer and isassociated with an owner; operating a computer system to register the atleast first and second capital exchange offers as software objectsstored in persistent storage on a digital automated exchange executingon an exchange computer system operating for the purpose of conductingcapital exchange offers; operating a computer system to enable definingand creating object mediaries, on the automated digital exchangecomputer system, for each of the at least first and second capitalexchange offers as software objects configured and instantiated for thepurpose of managing capital exchange offers; configuring the objectmediaries to cause a computer system to search for certain attributes ofcapital exchange offers registered on the digital automated exchangecomputer system, and to report back to the owners of the objectmediaries the result of such searches; operating the digital automatedexchange computer system to execute at least a first object mediary tocall upon functions of at least one second object mediary to determineif a match exists between terms offered by the first object mediary andterms required by at least one second object mediary; operating thedigital automated exchange computer system to present the ownerassociated with a first capital-exchange-offer software object with atleast one of any capital-exchange-offer software objects that match thefirst capital-exchange-offer software object by electronicallytransmitting a message indicative of the match; enabling the ownerassociated with the first capital-exchange-offer software object toinitiate negotiation with the owner of the at least one of any suchmatching capital-exchange software object by operating the digitalautomated exchange computer system to receive a message indicative ofthe intent of the owner associated with the first capital-exchange-offersoftware object to initiate negotiation, wherein the negotiationcomprises: operating the digital automated exchange computer system toexecute a staged disclosure process comprising processing informationsegmented into information components wherein each segment hasassociated therewith an action and a capability wherein a potentialaccessor of the information component is required to perform the actionbefore being allowed to execute the capability; and transmitting amessage corresponding to the required action to each participant of thenegotiation.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: defining asoftware object corresponding to an asset wherein the software objectcorresponding to an asset comprises: wherein the function selected fromthe set of functions having the members (1) the ability to calculate avalue given certain assumptions, (2) a maintenance of a pedigree oftransaction history involving the digital automated equity, (3) anembodiment of variable business logic, (4) an embodiment of variablevocabulary, (5) an ability to declare the identity of the digitalautomated equity; and associating the software object corresponding toan asset with a capital-exchange-offer software object.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the software object corresponding to an asset furthercomprises: user-defined content visible characteristics associated withthe underlying asset.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein acapital-exchange-offer software object comprises: an asset softwareobject; an offered exchange price; and exchange conditions; and whereinthe step of registering the at least one capital-exchange-offer softwareobject operates to initiate an offer to exchange the at least one assetsoftware object according to the offered exchange price and the exchangeconditions.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the determination if amatch exists further comprises executing a function of at least oneobject mediary to compare at least one of the offered exchange price andexchange conditions of the at least one capital-exchange software objectagainst at least one of an offered exchange price and exchangeconditions for at least a second registered capital-exchange softwareobject to determine if the exchange price or exchange conditions providea match.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of comparing at leastone of the offered exchange price and exchange conditions of the atleast one capital exchange software object against at least one of anoffered exchange price and exchange conditions for at least a secondregistered capital exchange software object further comprises causing atleast one of the offered exchange price and exchange conditions of theat least one capital exchange software object against at least one of anoffered exchange price and exchange conditions for at least a secondregistered capital exchange software object comprises the at least onecapital exchange software object querying other registered capitalexchange software objects to determine whether the offered exchangeprice and exchange conditions match those required by the at least onecapital exchange software object.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein thestaged disclosure process: operating an offeror mediary software objecthaving a required action presentation logic to present a required actionfor a next information content; and a grant capability logic; operatingan investor mediary software object in communication with the offerormediary and having a logic to perform the required action presented bythe offeror mediary and operable to communicate the result of suchaction to the offeror mediary; and wherein offeror mediary grantscapability to the investor mediary upon satisfaction of the requiredaction.
 8. The method of claim 7 required action is acquiescing to anon-disclosure agreement, and the capability is a grant of access toinformation protected under the non-disclosure agreement.
 9. Acomputerized exchange system operable to manage exchange offers ofcapital assets through a series of staged computer-mediated disclosures,the computerized exchange system comprising: means for creating anddefining at least a first and a second capital exchange offer as firstand second software objects (capital-exchange-offer software objects)wherein each capital-exchange-offer software object contains terms of anoffer and is associated with an owner; means for registering the atleast first and second capital exchange offers as software objectsstored in persistent storage on a digital automated exchange executingon an exchange computer system operating for the purpose of conductingcapital exchange offers; means for defining creating object mediaries,on the exchange computer system, for each of the at least first andsecond capital exchange offers as software objects configured andinstantiated for the purpose of managing capital exchange offers; meansfor configuring the object mediaries to search for certain attributes ofcapital exchange offers registered on the digital automated exchange,and to report back to the owners of the object mediaries the result ofsuch searches; means for executing a first object mediary to call uponfunctions of a second object mediary to determine if a match existsbetween terms offered by the first object mediary and terms required byat least one second object mediary; means for presenting the ownerassociated with a first capital-exchange-offer software object with atleast one of any capital-exchange-offer software objects that match thefirst capital-exchange-offer software object; means for enabling theowner of the first capital-exchange-offer software object to initiatenegotiation with the owner of the at least one any such matchingcapital-exchange software object, wherein the negotiation comprises:means for executing a staged disclosure process comprising processinginformation segmented into information components wherein each segmenthas associated there with an action and a capability wherein a potentialaccessor of the information component is required to perform the actionbefore being allowed to execute the capability.
 10. The computerizedexchange of claim 9 further comprising: means for defining a softwareobject corresponding to an asset wherein the software objectcorresponding to an asset comprises: at least one function selected fromthe set of functions having the members (1) the ability to calculate avalue given certain assumptions, (2) a maintenance of a pedigree oftransaction history involving the digital automated equity, (3) anembodiment of variable business logic, (4) an embodiment of variablevocabulary, (5) an ability to declare the identity of the digitalautomated equity.
 11. The computerized exchange of claim 10 wherein thesoftware object corresponding to an asset further comprises user-definedcontent containing capability to define and allow visiblecharacteristics associated with the underlying asset.
 12. Thecomputerized exchange of claim 9 wherein a capital-exchange-offersoftware object comprises: an asset software object; an offered exchangeprice; and exchange conditions; and wherein the step of registering theat least one capital-exchange-offer software object operates to initiatean offer to exchange the at least one asset software object according tothe offered exchange price and the exchange conditions.
 13. Thecomputerized exchange of claim 12 wherein the means for determination ifa match exists further comprises means to execute a function of at leastone object mediary to compare at least one of the offered exchange priceand exchange conditions of the at least one capital exchange softwareobject against at least one of an offered exchange price and exchangeconditions for at least a second registered capital exchange softwareobject to determine if the exchange price or exchange conditions providea match.
 14. The computerized exchange of claim 13 wherein the logic tocompare at least one of the offered exchange price and exchangeconditions of the at least one capital exchange software object againstat least one of an offered exchange price and exchange conditions for atleast a second registered capital exchange software object furthercomprising logic to cause at least one of the offered exchange price andexchange conditions of the at least one capital exchange software objectagainst at least one of an offered exchange price and exchangeconditions for at least a second registered capital exchange softwareobject comprises the at least one capital exchange software objectquerying other registered capital exchange software objects to determinewhether the offered exchange price and exchange conditions match thoserequired by the at least one capital exchange software object.
 15. Thecomputerized exchange of claim 9 wherein the staged disclosure logiccomprises: an offeror mediary software object having a required actionpresentation logic to present a required action for a next informationcontent; and a grant capability logic; an investor mediary softwareobject in communication with the offeror mediary and having a logic toperform the required action presented by the offeror mediary andoperable to communicate the result of such action to the offerormediary; and wherein offeror mediary grants capability to the investormediary upon satisfaction of the required action.
 16. The computerizedexchange of claim 15 required action is acquiescing to a non-disclosureagreement, and the capability is a grant of access to informationprotected under the non-disclosure agreement.